Strokes' Hammond, Jr. Talks LP, Touring, Inspiration
"You can probably write an album from a good date and a kiss."

Albert Hammond, Jr. probably wasn't the first Stroke you expected to go solo. And guess what? Albert Hammond, Jr. wasn't the first Stroke Albert Hammond, Jr. expected to go solo either. And yet, tomorrow, March 6, the Strokes guitarist treats U.S. audiences to his debut, Yours to Keep, via Scratchie/New Line Records.

The ten-track set-- outfitted with two bonus covers for the American edition-- features music played by Hammond and bandmates Steve Schiltz (Longwave) and Marc Eskenazi (The Sexy Magazines). It originally dropped overseas last fall on Rough Trade.

Yours to Keep almost didn't happen, however. "I wasn't going to put it out at all," Hammond revealed to Pitchfork in a recent interview. "When I was doing it, I wasn't really making a record, [but] by the time I was done, I realized I was. So I thought maybe it would be fun to put it out quietly, you know? I never thought I would be playing shows or anything like that."

Thanks to a little prodding from his bandmates and label, Hammond agreed to play a few gigs-- and things just took off from there. He recently wrapped up a North American tour with Incubus, and after a stretch of headlining dates, Albert will provide support for another monster act with a slightly different fanbase, Bloc Party.

"I don't think anyone knew who the hell I was at all," Albert revealed about his stint opening for Incubus. Nonetheless, the tour was an apparent success. "I think we got a lot of people who wouldn't have known about us otherwise, which was kind of the purpose of the tour, you know? So it was fun; it went well. It was very intense...Things are moving fast, and you can't stop it or slow it down. But we got through it."

Hammond, who admits "my favorite place in the world is probably the studio," already has a sizable cache of new tunes cooked up. But between his rigorous tour schedule and his duties in that other band, however, don't expect any new material coming out soon. "I've got a whole bunch...[but] you don't really get that much time on the road to work it out."

So what about that other band, the Strokes? "I think all the guys are just hanging out and doing life things," said Hammond. The guitarist also couldn't say when we'll see a follow-up to last year's First Impressions of Earth. "I have no idea. I always get in trouble when I speculate about stuff. So I have zero clue. If I did know I would tell you, though." [MORE...]

The Shins Prep Single, Add More Dates

The Shins are adding tour dates left and right, in the U.S. and France, in Belgium and Germany and the Netherlands. And now, they will supplement their most recently added dates with the April 9 release of the "Australia" single on Transgressive Records.

The CD single includes the B-sides "Sleeping Lessons (RAC Remix)", "Saint Simon (Live on BBC2's Mark Radcliffe show)", and "Girl on a Wing (Live on KCRW's 'Morning Becomes Eclectic')". Unfortunately, it is only scheduled for release in the UK. [MORE...]

Nas Announces Tour
Wife Kelis arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest. Both star in reality show.

Whether hip hop is dead or not, Nas' career is revitalized after the release of his controversially titled new album. In a month, he will kick off a full tour of North America with a show at Cleveland's House of Blues. And according to NME.com, he will soon star in an MTV reality show titled "Mr. and Mrs. Jones" with his wife Kelis.

Kelis has been keeping herself busy; this past weekend, she was arrested. On March 2, the R&B singer was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after screaming racial profanities at two female police officers posing as prostitutes in Miami Beach, according to an AP report. She was detained at 4:30 a.m. and released on a $1500 bond hours later.

We're don't know whether or not she knew the officers were undercover, but we do know she takes a mean mugshot. And by "mean," we mean totally cute.

Most. Badass. Couple. Ever. [MORE...]

Basement Jaxx, Pet Shop Boys Remix Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono has assembled another impressive guest list to follow up her Yes, I'm a Witch reinvention album. Basement Jaxx, Pet Shop Boys, and Felix Da Housecat all contribute to remix disc Open Your Box, which Astralwerks will release April 24.

In contrast to Yes, I'm a Witch, on which collaborators kept Ono's original vocals and wrote new music in accompaniment, the remixes on Open Your Box are slightly more traditional. They take the originals-- including "Everyman Everywoman" twice and "Walking on Thin Ice" three times-- and aim straight for the dance floor. [MORE...]

Sonic Youth to Perform Daydream Nation at Primavera
Barcelona fest also adds Girl Talk, Apples in Stereo, Black Mountain

Sonic Youth are rather amped to perform their masterpiece Daydream Nation live in its entirety. A short while ago, they added a second London performance of the album as part of ATP's Don't Look Back series, and now Thurston, Kim, Lee, and Steve have announced that they will play Daydream three months earlier at Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival on June 2.

As previously reported, Slint will also play their own magnum opus, Spiderland, at both Primavera and Don't Look Back.

Along with Sonic Youth, Primavera has also added Girl Talk, the Apples in Stereo, Black Mountain, Shannon Wright, and X-Wife to its impressive lineup, with more acts TBA. These folks join Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Wilco, Patti Smith, Explosions in the Sky, and heaps more at Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum from May 31 thru June 2. Thanks once again to reader Xavi Guasch for the tip!

Sonic Youth's next tour dates are in April, when they will play with Vooredoms in Japan and travel to China for their first shows there. Thurston Moore, however, has a few shows scheduled this month (including a pair of SXSW appearances) under his own name and with Bark Haze. The Eagles of Hair Metal, a group that includes Keith Fullerton Whitman and Alan Licht, play on the last date. [MORE...]

Deerhunter, Hella, Pelican, Sykes to Rock Baton Rouge
Plus: Mary Timony, Black Angels, Rosebuds, Dirty Projectors, Dirty on Purpose, Bishop Allen

It's a long road down to SXSW, but thanks to a few venues in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it's a slightly less expensive one. The LA capital city-- now the state's most populous metropolitan area, in the wake of Katrina-- plays host to the 2007 Gas Food and Lodging Festival from March 12-24.

The two-week fest provides traveling bands a means of making a little extra cash on the way over to SXSW-- cash which could conceivably be used toward-- yes-- gas, food, and/or lodging. Or, you know, drugs and prostitutes. Young bands: the choice is yours!

City venues Spanish Moon, Red Star, North Gate Tavern, and Chelsea's Cafe welcome a trove of indie favorites during the festival, including Deerhunter, Hella, Pelican, Jesse Sykes, Mary Timony, the Black Angels, the Rosebuds, Dirty Projectors, Dirty on Purpose, Georgie James, Bishop Allen, Daughters, Young Widows, Silversun Pickups, Six Parts Seven, Say Hi to Your Mom, and more. Check out the complete lineup below. [MORE...]

Benjamin Curtis Leaves Secret Machines
Remaining members commence work on LP3

The Secret Machines fan community is majorly bummed right now, as it was announced this weekend that guitarist and founding Machine Benjamin Curtis has departed the prog-ish trio.

"After 7 and 1/2 years of playing music together," wrote bandmate and brother Brandon Curtis on the Machines' message board, "Benjamin has decided to no longer be a part of the band. It is a sad day but also an exciting one as he prepares to focus full time on his new creative venture, School of Seven Bells...Of course Josh [Garza, drummer] and I wish him all the best."

New York-based quintet School of Seven Bells, as previously reported, features Benjamin alongside another set of siblings: sisters Claudia and Alejandra Deheza, formerly of On!Air!Library!. The act "expects to be finished with a new record very soon," wrote Brandon, and "there [are] plans in the works to play some shows here in New York debuting the band."

While it's not known whether the remaining Machines will seek a replacement, Brandon and Josh have begun work on the third Secret Machines album, the follow-up to last year's Ten Silver Drops. "We expect to begin recording sometime in the beginning of May," said Brandon. Silver lining, yo.

Exclusive: Bjork Talks Volta for the Very First Time
"All I wanted to do for this album was just to have fun and do something that was full-bodied and really up."

On Friday, Björk opened her music box and revealed its latest treasure: Volta, the Icelandic powerhouse's forthcoming album, due out May 7 on One Little Indian/Atlantic.

The record was produced by Björk herself, and features a globe-trotting all-star cast of contributors, including Timbaland, Antony, Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale, percussionist Chris Corsano, African collective Konono N°1, kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, and a ten-piece Icelandic brass section.

Last week in New York City, Pitchfork's Brandon Stosuy sat down with Björk for her first interview about the new album. (Full disclosure: Stosuy is a friend of Matthew Barney, Björk's partner.) During their lengthy chat, Björk opened up about the politics and sonics of Volta, her relationships with her collaborators, and her plans for the future.

In the first part of a series that will continue over the course of the coming weeks, Björk talks about the rhythms of Volta: how they're different from the rhythms of her previous work, and how a trip to tsunami-stricken Indonesia inspired the life-force behind the beats. [MORE...]

Long Winters Tour With Bound Stems, Broken West

It's not often that we get to type the words "Zagreb, Croatia," but the Long Winters will practically saturate the Eastern and Central European markets tonight and tomorrow with their last two overseas dates before returning to North America.

Not long after their Stateside homecoming, the band hits the road once again. On March 10, the Long Winters begin a month-long tour on their way back to their native Seattle, with Bound Stems, the Broken West, and Stars of Track and Field accompanying on various dates.

Through With Love, the previously reported documentary about the Long Winters, is still in the editing stages. [MORE...]

Prinzhorn Dance School Tour With LCD Soundsystem

DFA's newest adoptions, Prinzhorn Dance School, are still working on their James Murphy-mixed debut album. For the immediate future, however, the energetic duo will focus on touring the old countries.

Tonight they begin a month-and-a-half long UK tour that has them opening a bunch of overseas dates for labelmates LCD Soundsystem-- whose own world tour, as previously reported, kicks off next week. The Prinzhorn fun begins pretty much right now at the Windmill in London. [MORE...]

Domino Is Where the Wild Beasts Are

Wild Beasts have been steadily writing, recording, and touring for the past five years-- since some of their members were 16. The Leeds quartet have released a series of EPs, and they'll soon get a chance to issue their debut full-length on a new label: Domino Records.

The Beasts migrate to Domino from Bad Sneakers Records, which will release their second single on April 23 with A-side "Through Dark Night" and B-side "Please, Sir".

The band have scattered tour dates in England, including one supporting new labelmates Clinic at London's Scala, and their upcoming show at the Faversham in Leeds will double as a launch party for the Bad Sneakers single.

Pitchfork glowingly reviewed the band's debut single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", late last year; read about it here. [MORE...]

Photos: Knitting Factory Benefit [New York, NY; 03/01/07]

Lou Reed, Lee Ranaldo, John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, DJ Spooky, and more turned out last night at Town Hall to pay homage to the Old Knit (aka the Knitting Factory) and club founder Michael Dorf. 2007 marks the beloved venue's 20th anniversary. Check out Kathryn Yu's photos from the event, which also included performances from Medeski Martin and Wood (sans Wood), former Soul Cougher Mike Doughty, guitarist Marc Ribot, and songstress Rebecca Moore. Proceeds from the show benefitted The Stone, Zorn's Lower East Side "not-for-profit performance space dedicated to the experimental and avant-garde."

LOU REED


JOHN ZORN


LAURIE ANDERSON


DJ SPOOKY

[MORE...]

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